Instant Pot Collard Greens

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These Instant Pot Collard Greens have a perfectly tender texture with a savory, meaty flavor thanks to the addition of smoked turkey wings! You’ll love how quick and easy it is to make this Southern-style side dish in the pressure cooker. From start to finish, these greens are ready in only an hour! 

When it comes to flavorful side dishes, it doesn’t get much better than this collard greens recipe! While I love collard greens cooked with salt pork or ham hock, my favorite way to prepare them is with smoked turkey. 

And, of course, the Instant Pot saves so much time. Instead of hours cooking on the stovetop, these greens pressure cook in just 35 minutes! 

This is a must-make shortcut recipe that will save you time without sacrificing any of that slow cooked flavor!

While collard greens are a delicious side dish paired with these pan fried pork chops, we love to enjoy them on their own with some air fryer cornbread (dipped in pot liquor, of course)!

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• What are collard greens?
• Ingredients
• Step by step instructions
• Expert tips
• Common questions
• Storage, freezing and reheating
• Other Instant Pot recipes
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why this recipe works

1. Using the Instant Pot cuts down on cooking time. Simmering collard greens on the stovetop can take hours. In the Instant Pot, they only take 35 minutes to pressure cook on high!
2. There’s very little active time. You can wash and chop collard greens for this recipe, but to save time, I usually buy pre-washed and pre-cut greens. So, this recipe is actually pretty hands off!
3. Cooking in the Instant Pot frees up your stovetop for other recipes, like these creamy garlic mashed potatoes, which is a huge advantage when feeding a crowd or for large holiday meals. 

Related: Pickled Mustard Greens

What are collard greens?

Collard greens are a large, leafy and dark green vegetable. They have thick ribs and a tough stem. They’re related to cabbage and kale, and are sometimes used interchangeably in recipes that call for turnip greens or mustard greens.

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please see the recipe card below.

You’ll need 16 ounces of collard greens for this recipe. To save time, I normally buy pre-washed and pre-cut collard greens but you can wash and chop your own. 

Here’s a helpful video on how to cut, clean and prep collard greens.

For a smoky and savory flavor, 2 smoked turkey wings are added to the greens as they cook. They’ll be shredded and mixed in with the greens at the end before serving.

As collard greens can taste bitter, you’ll want to add a ¼ cup of sherry vinegar to this recipe. Half will be used to cook with the greens, while the remainder is drizzled on before serving. 

If you don’t have sherry vinegar, rice vinegar, champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar all work as substitutes.

For the cooking liquid, the recipe calls for 1 cup of chicken broth. I like to use low sodium or homemade broth so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. If you’re looking for a homemade chicken broth recipe, this crockpot chicken broth is one of my favorites.

Step by step instructions

Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.

Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.

Add the greens, half the sherry vinegar, salt and pepper and stir to coat the greens with the oil and onion mixture.

Add the turkey wings, mixing them in with the greens.

Add the broth and seal the lid. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.

Use the quick release to release the pressure.

Shred the turkey and mix it in with the greens.

Serve drizzled with the remaining sherry vinegar. 

Expert tips

1. To save time, I use pre-washed and pre-cut collard greens, but you can wash and chop your own if you prefer.
2. It may look like you’re adding a lot of collard greens to your Instant Pot, but they shrink down once cooked, so be sure to use all 16 ounces.
3. For the chicken broth, you can use store-bought or homemade, like this Instant Pot chicken bone broth.
4. Save the flavorful pot liquor that the greens and turkey wings cook in. It’s great for dunking your cornbread in, or it’s a delicious base for soups and gravies.
5. Make sure you quick release the pressure on the Instant Pot. If you naturally release it, the collard greens will continue cooking and may end up overcooked and a bit too soft.
6. While the greens need 35 minutes to pressure cook, you’ll also need to factor in time for pressure to build and release in the Instant Pot.

Common questions

Storage, freezing and reheating

Store leftover collard greens in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave until warmed through.

If you want to freeze them, you can do so with or without the pot liquor. (If draining the pot liquor, be sure to save it for another recipe)! Store the greens in freezer safe bags or containers. Defrost in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before reheating.

Other Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Cabbage
• Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts
• Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
• Instant Pot Carrots

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